[isapple]

Dealer was taking forever to get a 540 (msrp 75k) allocation so I was shopping around, and found out that I could get an etron GT prestige (Non-RS msrp 125k) for basically the same cost. I need to make a decision in the next few days and I'm leaning audi, but I've never owned a BMW before so just wanted to see how you BMW fanatics feel about this option.

BMW Pros:
-ICE vehicle
-Better interior imo
-Will be first bmw that i own, and a b58 engine is supposed to be super nice
-Everything is customized (my build)

BMW Cons:

-Production in july, will get here in oct (will have to extend lease and prob will have to get new tires for my lease)
-Long AF (199in)
-A lot of ppl hate how it looks (I dont think its terrible)

Audi Pros:

- Regarded as one of the best looking cars
- When am i gonna get a 125k car for so cheap
- I'll get it like next week and current Lease will be taken care of without having to buy new tires
- No gas cost
- I think the frunk is kind of cute lol
- Premium leather package

Audi Cons:

- EV? First time EV owner
- +30 bucks on insurance
- Prestige has performance package so will have to get all season tires separately
- Also long AF 196in

pic of both potential cars (540 is brooklyn grey msport without the msport pro) -

View post on imgur.com

thaanks

[Scrapula]

Originally Posted by isapple

Dealer was taking forever to get a 540 (msrp 75k) allocation so I was shopping around, and found out that I could get an etron GT prestige (Non-RS msrp 125k) for basically the same cost. I need to make a decision in the next few days and I'm leaning audi, but I've never owned a BMW before so just wanted to see how you BMW fanatics feel about this option.

BMW Pros:
-ICE vehicle
-Better interior imo
-Will be first bmw that i own, and a b58 engine is supposed to be super nice
-Everything is customized (my build)

BMW Cons:

-Production in july, will get here in oct (will have to extend lease and prob will have to get new tires for my lease)
-Long AF (199in)
-A lot of ppl hate how it looks (I dont think its terrible)

Audi Pros:

- Regarded as one of the best looking cars
- When am i gonna get a 125k car for so cheap
- I'll get it like next week and current Lease will be taken care of without having to buy new tires
- No gas cost
- I think the frunk is kind of cute lol
- Premium leather package

Audi Cons:

- EV? First time EV owner
- +30 bucks on insurance
- Prestige has performance package so will have to get all season tires separately
- Also long AF 196in

pic of both potential cars (540 is brooklyn grey msport without the msport pro) -

View post on imgur.com

thaanks

It’s really a personal preference. My nephew came over to visit this week and I took him for a drive in my i5. He had been doing builds for a future i4 M50 to replace his Audi S4.

[SkykingUSA]

If you go EV, make sure you have level 2 charging at home. I am not familiar with that Audi so can't really say one way or the other. You're right though about getting an expensive car for such a good deal. On the flip side of that you have to ask yourself why?

[PsychDoc]

As much as I love BMW's, I'd have to say that the Audi would be the way to go here. Your comment about the interiors is interesting as I've always felt that Audis had the nicest interiors in the segment. What you will give up is BMW's reliability which is far and away superior to anything else in the market. If you lease this isn't really a big deal, but if you buy, this is a variable you want to factor in. But clearly the Audi is by far the better buy.

Just my opinion, of course.

[Ossian]

That is a pretty good deal on the etron -- I saw nothing close to that when I was looking a few months ago. Personally, I would go with the Audi at that price -- I think it is a gorgeous car, and I considered it, along with the Taycan, before I pulled the trigger on the I5 M60, The BMW was in stock in almost exactly the config I wanted, I got a great lease deal, and I enjoyed the M60's straight line speed, so I have no regrets. The etron is no slouch acceleration-wise, even in non RS form, and it is lighter than the M60, but far heavier than the 540i. You are right that the B58 is a sweet engine -- we have one in our X5 50e and I thoroughly enjoy it in sport mode. I have to say that I think the Audi has the better interior, although I hate their infotainment compared to iDrive. Both definitely have pros and cons, but I'd still lean etron if you are ok with EV - that car is just flat out gorgeous. You may want to try the M60 if you haven't yet - here's an interesting UK comapro: https://www.autoexpress.co.uk/car-gr...s-go-head-head. I think I would still choose the M60 over the Audi, but it would be close. I was determined to go EV or PHEV this time around, so the 540i wasn't in play for me.

This is my first EV and I am enjoying the EV experience thoroughly for the type of driving I do these days -- as long as you have a level 2 charger at home and don't plan to do frequent long trips you would probably adapt to it pretty quickly. Is that a heavily negotiated offer on the Audi, or does your local dealer have a pile of them not moving? I do see Audi has some national incentives going that weren't available when I looked.

[RichardInCA]

I think you should work out whether you want an EV or not, and not make the call on it being a good deal. You’ll not be thinking about what a great deal it was if you don’t know whether your charging availability and range are going to fit your driving style. If you want an EV though (just got my first with the i5 M60) then go EV. This is a bit of an apples and oranges comparison that I wouldn’t make just on sticker price. At this level I would really recommend that you work out what you want from a car first.

[agorski]

Originally Posted by SkykingUSA

You're right though about getting an expensive car for such a good deal. On the flip side of that you have to ask yourself why?

I've seen reports that the depreciation is brutal as soon as you drive off the dealer's lot.

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by agorski

I've seen reports that the depreciation is brutal as soon as you drive off the dealer's lot.

I think this is being seen in all EV's. Mercedes EV's are offering huge discounts as their EV's are just not selling. I hope that most posters here who opted for an EV leased.

[deutsch100]

As long as you know that the Audi app will not work 99% of the time, and many of the car settings/preferences/customizations are stored in some Audi cloud....and when you start your car, you may or may not have many settings and even screens for several mins, or several miles....then go Audi.

My 2022 e-tron was the most problematic and disappointing new car I have ever had, and I have had A LOT of cars!

Spend about 30 mins on e-tron forums, and you might go RUNNING to your local BMW dealer

[isapple]

Thanks so much for the overwhelming response. It seems like this forum is also sort of torn on the decision. I do have level 2 charging at home so I think I'm leaning towards the Audi. I visited the bmw dealer again today just so I could have peace of mind, but I don't see the BMW winning in any category except for the ICE and the idrive.

I hope the G60 gets some sort of facelift in 3ish years because i really want to own a bmw one day!

I did however see the etron forums and yikes there are some huge issues but I do want to believe it is the exception and not the norm. Anyways, thanks so much everyone for your inputs! I really appreciate it. See you in 3 years

[Bklyn]

Originally Posted by isapple

Dealer was taking forever to get a 540 (msrp 75k) allocation so I was shopping around, and found out that I could get an etron GT prestige (Non-RS msrp 125k) for basically the same cost. I need to make a decision in the next few days and I'm leaning audi, but I've never owned a BMW before so just wanted to see how you BMW fanatics feel about this option.

BMW Pros:
-ICE vehicle
-Better interior imo
-Will be first bmw that i own, and a b58 engine is supposed to be super nice
-Everything is customized (my build)

BMW Cons:

-Production in july, will get here in oct (will have to extend lease and prob will have to get new tires for my lease)
-Long AF (199in)
-A lot of ppl hate how it looks (I dont think its terrible)

Audi Pros:

- Regarded as one of the best looking cars
- When am i gonna get a 125k car for so cheap
- I'll get it like next week and current Lease will be taken care of without having to buy new tires
- No gas cost
- I think the frunk is kind of cute lol
- Premium leather package

Audi Cons:

- EV? First time EV owner
- +30 bucks on insurance
- Prestige has performance package so will have to get all season tires separately
- Also long AF 196in

pic of both potential cars (540 is brooklyn grey msport without the msport pro) -

View post on imgur.com

thaanks

As someone who came from 3 Tesla's, loved and owned each one to an i5, I would NEVER EVER buy another EV. Lease for sure, buy NEVER. The market is crazy and resale is trash. I was very fortunate to get rid of my last Tesla right before the big crash in resale. Might be the same for an ice vehicle but I wouldn't take a chance.

[Scrapula]

Originally Posted by Bklyn

As someone who came from 3 Tesla's, loved and owned each one to an i5, I would NEVER EVER buy another EV. Lease for sure, buy NEVER. The market is crazy and resale is trash. I was very fortunate to get rid of my last Tesla right before the big crash in resale. Might be the same for an ice vehicle but I wouldn't take a chance.

It’s the same for a luxury ICE vehicle, it’s not about an EV. Anything priced $60k or higher will lose 50%. My 2020 Jaguar was $61,200 and was selling retail for $35 just 4 years later. Most people lease luxury cars also.

[PsychDoc]

Originally Posted by Scrapula

It’s the same for a luxury ICE vehicle, it’s not about an EV. Anything priced $60k or higher will lose 50%. My 2020 Jaguar was $61,200 and was selling retail for $35 just 4 years later. Most people lease luxury cars also.

Actually that's not bad if your jaguar retained over 50% of its value after four years. Most three year leases figure approximately a 50% residual value at the end of the lease. Sadly EV's do suffer significantly worse depreciation than ICE cars.

https://spectrumnews1.com/ca/la-west...20iSeeCars.com

[Scrapula]

That was retail to retail. If you look at trade in value, then it’s several thousand dollars less. I got retail on my trade in lieu of dollars off my build on the BMW. Most EVs were over priced at $60k when they should have been priced at $45k to begin with. Look at a Mach E. I can’t believe people bought them at $60k when it’s really a budget class like a Tesla 3 or Y. I would look at depreciation of a Model S or X which is about 30% over 4 years.

[deutsch100]

[QUOTE=isapple;31218202

I did however see the etron forums and yikes there are some huge issues but I do want to believe it is the exception and not the norm. [/QUOTE]

IT IS THE NORM. Trust me, please. Sadly, I have a few close friends with e-trons (GT, regular, Sportback)....and they are having, and have had even more trouble than I had. Since 2019...Audi has essentially given up on trying to make the Audi app work. 9/10 times you will NOT be able to pre-climate, lock or unlock or check charge.

Audi key user software, cloud stored settings and software in general makes an actual dumpster fire seem pleasant.

But, if you are going to go the Audi route....Enjoy the Service Dept

[deutsch100]

Originally Posted by Scrapula

It’s the same for a luxury ICE vehicle, it’s not about an EV. Anything priced $60k or higher will lose 50%. My 2020 Jaguar was $61,200 and was selling retail for $35 just 4 years later. Most people lease luxury cars also.

The more expensive the msrp, the faster and harder they drop in value (few exceptions being a few very low volume Porsche, Ferrari, Lamb, Bugatti, etc...)

But EV and PHEV values are tanking!!! Our BMW XM is less than a year old, and has about 6000 miles. We were toying with the idea of getting an XM Red Label or going back to a G63 (have had 9 MBZ Gs, and they are just special to us).

Two BMW dealers and TWO MBZ dealers valued our 2023 BMW XM at 50-55% below msrp. So sad!

The problem with expensive or super expensive luxury cars....most buying them want brand new and are not willing or even open to considering like new with low miles. In turn, the resale value of $$$ cars takes a huge hit.

[Kief]

Originally Posted by isapple

Thanks so much for the overwhelming response. It seems like this forum is also sort of torn on the decision. I do have level 2 charging at home so I think I'm leaning towards the Audi. I visited the bmw dealer again today just so I could have peace of mind, but I don't see the BMW winning in any category except for the ICE and the idrive.

I hope the G60 gets some sort of facelift in 3ish years because i really want to own a bmw one day!

I did however see the etron forums and yikes there are some huge issues but I do want to believe it is the exception and not the norm. Anyways, thanks so much everyone for your inputs! I really appreciate it. See you in 3 years

You’ll love the etron GT. Knock on wood, but my 2023 RS etron GT has been rock solid, aside from a few minor annoyances which hasn’t negatively affected my ownership experience. In fact, we are getting ready to drive it 1100+ miles down to the beach and back. This coming Oct the Audi lease ends, and I was so bummed about having to return it, that I just picked up its cousin this past weekend. Just a testament to my faith in the platform. I too was considering a 2025 5er, but in i5 M60 guise; however, I think I was really trying to convince myself that I wanted that car, when honestly, it just wasn’t meant for me at this time-maybe someday.

You made a great decision, and enjoy the GT in good health

[Bklyn]

Originally Posted by Scrapula

It’s the same for a luxury ICE vehicle, it’s not about an EV. Anything priced $60k or higher will lose 50%. My 2020 Jaguar was $61,200 and was selling retail for $35 just 4 years later. Most people lease luxury cars also.

Somewhat agree, but respectfully I think there is a larger market of people who will actually buy a used ice over an ev. I had a hard time getting anyone to even look at my 3 year old Tesla before selling to a dealer on Kelly Book. I comp'd my asking price according to used market values, and wound up with about 4K more from the Kelly source. BMW didn't even want it.
This was back in January I think, although not a BMW, MB or an Audi I still think Tesla makes a great product, everything "works" in it unlike my current experience. But that's just my experience.